Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

The embodiment relates to a refrigerator, a refrigerator according to the embodiment includes: a refrigerating compartment above the freezing temperature; a freezing compartment below the freezing temperature; a mullion that partitions the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment side by side; a cold air supplying portion that forms within the mullion and includes an evaporator and a cooling fan; and an ice making apparatus that is disposed at the mullion, the ice making apparatus making cold air supplying portion ice by receiving cold air generated by the evaporator.

The present application claims the benefits of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0104282 (filed on Oct. 30, 2009), which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The embodiment relates to a refrigerator.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a refrigerator is an electric home appliance to keep foods in a refrigerated or frozen state. The inside of the refrigerator is provided with a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion unit that forms a freezing cycle and the back surface of the refrigerator body is provided with an evaporator.

Recently, various types of refrigerators have been released onto the market. For example, there are a side by side type where a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment are disposed left and right, respectively, a bottom freezer type where a refrigerating compartment is disposed above a freezing compartment, a top mount type where a refrigerating compartment is disposed below a freezing compartment, etc.

In addition, an ice making assembly is disposed inside the refrigerator and the ice making assembly may be disposed in a refrigerating compartment or a freezing compartment or may be a freezing compartment door or a refrigerating compartment door. A product having a dispenser which is capable of drawing out ice made in the ice making assembly and is disposed at the freezing compartment door or the refrigerating compartment door has been released onto the market. Therefore, a user can freely draw out ice without necessarily opening the refrigerator door, thereby making it possible to prevent cold air from being lost.

Meanwhile, a conventional refrigerator has a structure that an evaporator is disposed inside the back surface of the refrigerator body and the cold air generated from the evaporator is supplied to the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment through a cold air duct.

Recently, in the case of the side by side type refrigerator, the product in which the evaporator is installed inside a mullion partitioning the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment and the cold air flows into the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment along the cold air duct formed in the mullion has been released.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiment is to apply an ice making assembly to a refrigerator having an evaporator disposed in a mullion that partitions a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment.

In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerator according to the embodiment includes: a refrigerating compartment; a freezing compartment that is adjacently disposed to the refrigerating compartment; a mullion that partitions the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment; a cold air supplying portion that forms a portion of at least mullion and receives an evaporator therein; and

an ice making apparatus that is attached to the cold air supplying portion and makes and stores ice by receiving cold air generated by the evaporator.

With the refrigerator, the evaporator moves from the back surface of the refrigerator to the mullion, thereby increasing the volume of the refrigerator.

In detail, the depth in the front and back direction of the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment of the refrigerator is longer and the evaporator is disposed in the mullion so that the increase in the depth of the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment is larger than the reduction in the width of the refrigerating compartment or the freezing compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cold air supplying portion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 2 and a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an inner configuration of the cold air supplying portion;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the refrigerator having an ice compartment according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 2 and shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ice compartment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing an inner configuration of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Hereinafter, an ice making assembly according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the description of the present invention, a side by side type of a refrigerator will be described as an example.

A refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a refrigerating compartment above the freezing temperature; a freezing compartment below the feezing temperature; a mullion that partitions the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment side by side; a cold air supplying portion that forms within the mullion and includes an evaporator and a cooling fan; and an ice making apparatus that is disposed at the mullion, the ice making apparatus making ice by receiving cold air generated by the evaporator.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise a cold air duct within the mullion, and the cold air duct may comprise: a first duct at the refrigerating compartment side that supplies cold air generated from the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment; and a second duct at the freezing compartment side that supplies cold air generated from the evaporator to the freezing compartment.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise at least one damper, which slectively opens or closes the first and second ducts such that the cold air supplied by the cooling fan is introduced into one of or both the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment.

The ice making apparatus of the present invention may include: an ice maker that makes the ice; an ice bin that is disposed at a position lower than the ice maker and stores the ice made by the ice maker; and an ice discharge mechanism that is disposed within the ice bin to discharge and/or crush the ice.

The ice making apparatus of the present invention may be located within the refrigerating compartment and communicate with the first duct, and the ice maker and the ice bin may be surrounded by an insulation wall.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise: a door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, one end of the discharge duct communicating with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct communicating with the dispenser, and the insulation wall may be provided with a communication hole enabling the ice bin to communicate with the discharge duct.

The ice making apparatus of the present invention may be located within the freezing compartment and communicate with the second duct.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise: a door that opens and closes the freezing compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, and one end of the discharge duct may communicate with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct may communicate with the dispenser.

The ice maker of the present invention may be disposed in the freezing compartment and communicate with the second duct, and the ice bin may be disposed in the refrigerating compartment.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise: a connection duct that penetrates the mullion to connect the ice maker and the ice bin; and an insulation wall that surrounds the ice bin to insulate the ice bin from the refrigerating compartment.

The refrigerator of the present invention may further comprise: a door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, one end of the discharge duct communicating with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct communicating with the dispenser, and the insulation wall may be provided with a communication hole enabling the ice bin to communicate with the discharge duct.

The ice discharge mechanism of the present invention may include at least one of: an auger that transfers the ice to an ice outlet formed in the ice bin; a crusher that crushes the ice transferred by the auger; a rotation shaft that rotates the auger and the crusher; and a motor that is connected to the rotation shaft to provide rotation power.

A frontal insulation wall that forms a front portion of the insulation wall may be separable and constitute a unitary body with the ice bin. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 11 having a freezing compartment 111 a refrigerating compartment 112. Each of the freezing compartment 111 and the refrigerating compartment 112 is selectively shielded by a door (not shown) that is pivotably connected to the cabinet 11. The refrigerating compartment 112 and the freezing compartment 111 are partitioned side by side by a mullion 113.

In addition, a cold air supplying portion 12 is formed in the mullion 113. An evaporator 30 (see FIG. 2) that generates a cold air and a cold air passage are disposed in the cold air supplying portion 12. An ice compartment 20 is disposed on one side of the cold air supplying portion 12 as well. FIG. 1 shows that the ice compartment 20 is disposed inside the refrigerating compartment 112.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cold air supplying portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinally cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 2 to show an inner configuration of the cold air supplying portion.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the cold air supplying portion 12 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be formed inside the mullion 113 and may be formed in the entire or a portion of the mullion 113.

In detail, the evaporator 30 is accommodated in the lower inside of the cold air supplying portion 12, and a cooling fan 31 may be disposed in the upper space of the evaporator 30. A cold air duct extends from the discharge side of the cooling fan 31. In detail, the cold air duct is divided into a first duct 121 at the refrigerating compartment side and a second air duct 124 at the freezing compartment 121 at the discharge side of the cooling fan 31. The first duct 121 is for supplying cold air into the refrigerating compartment and the second duct 124 is for supplying cold air into the freezing compartment. A damper 127 at the freezing compartment side is disposed at an inlet of the second air duct 124 and a damper 128 at the refrigerating compartment side is disposed at the inlet of the first air duct 121, respectively, such that the amounts of the cold air supplied into the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment can be controlled.

In addition, cold air suction holes 126 and 123 are disposed at both sides of the cold air supplying portion 12, respectively, that correspond to the lower ends of the evaporator 30. The air inside the freezing compartment 111 and the refrigerating compartment 112 is sucked towards the evaporator 30 through the cold air suction holes 126 and 123.

Also, a plurality of cold air outlets 122 are provided at the first duct 121 and a plurality of cold air outlets 125 are also provided at the second air duct 124. Further, the plurality of cold air outlets 125 may also be formed on a flat surface, in the same manner as the second air duct 124.

Meanwhile, the ice compartment 20 may be attached to the first duct 121 and the cold air discharged from the first duct 121 may be supplied to the ice compartment 20 to make ice.

A return duct 129 that enables the cold air supplied to the ice compartment 20 to return to the second duct 124 may be formed. Therefore, the cold air supplied to the ice compartment 20 along the first duct 121 can be supplied to the freezing compartment 111 through the return duct 129. However, it is not limited to the embodiment proposed herein but a separate return duct structure may be extended from the ice compartment to be connected to a space in which the evaporator 30 is accommodated so that the cold air is circulated.

Also, the present embodiment shows that the ice compartment 20 is accommodated in the space of the refrigerating compartment. Further, the ice compartment 20 includes an ice maker 21 that makes ice, an ice bin 22 that stores the ice made in the ice maker 21, and a cooling fan (not shown). The cooling fan may be denominated as an ice compartment fan. The structure of the ice compartment 20 will be now described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the refrigerator having an ice compartment according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 2 and shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the refrigerator.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention have the freezing compartment 111 and the refrigerating compartment 112 are formed side by side by the mullion 113. The cold air supplying portion 12 may form a part of the mullion 113 or may be entirely buried inside the mullion 113. The present embodiment shows a structure in which the cold air supplying portion 12 is completely buried inside the mullion 113 and only the cold air suction holes and cold air outlets are exposed on both side walls of the mullion.

Meanwhile, the ice compartment 20 is installed on the first duct 121, and a dispenser 14 and a discharge duct 15 that connects the ice compartment 20 to the dispenser 14 are formed at a refrigerator door 13 so that the ice made in the ice compartment 20 is discharged to the outside. Herein, the refrigerator door 13 may be a refrigerating compartment door that opens/closes the refrigerating compartment. A water dispensing port 142 that dispenses potable water may be formed on the dispenser 14. A water supply passage L that is connected to a water supply source outside the refrigerator is extended to the inside of the refrigerator 10. More specifically, the water supply passage L may be branched into a water supply passage for ice making L1 and a water supply passage for purifying water L2 at a certain position thereof. The end of the water supply passage for ice making L1 is extended to the ice maker 21 inside the ice compartment 20. The water supply passage for purifying water L2 is extended along the refrigerator main body and is extended to the inside of the refrigerating compartment by penetrating the refrigerator door, in particular, the inside of the hinge for the refrigerating compartment door, thereby being connected to the water dispensing port 142. Although not shown, a filter may be provided rearward (based on the flow direction of water) of the position where the water supply passage for making ice L1 and the water supply passage for purifying water L2 are branched.

More specifically, an inlet of the discharge duct 15 that is formed on the rear surface of the door 13 is closely attached to a bottom portion of the ice compartment 20, and an outlet thereof is connected to the dispenser 14. Therefore, a damper 151 formed inside the discharge duct 15 is operated by pressing a button 141 formed on the dispenser 14 and thus an internal path of the discharge duct 15 is opened, such that the ice is discharged to the dispenser 14.

Further, the ice compartment 20 forms an ice chamber therein by a insulation wall 23, wherein the ice maker 21, the ice bin 22 that stores ice, and the ice compartment fan 25 are provided inside the insulation wall 23. Also, ice outlets are formed in the ice bin 22 and the bottom surface of the insulation wall 23, respectively, and the ice outlets are configured to communicate with the inlet of the discharge duct 15. Further, a damper 231 is mounted on the ice outlet formed on the bottom of the insulation wall 23, thereby making it possible to prevent the ice from being discharged when the door 13 is opened.

Meanwhile, an ice discharge mechanism 24 is provided inside the ice bin 21, wherein the ice discharge mechanism 24 includes an auger 243 that transfers the ice to the outlet formed on the bottom of the ice bin 22, a crusher 244 that crushes the ice transferred by the auger 243, a rotation shaft 242 that rotates the auger 243 and the crusher 244, and a motor 241 that is connected to the rotation shaft 242 to apply rotation power.

The ice compartment 20 is configured to communicate with the cold air outlets 122 formed on the first duct 121 to be provided with cold air.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ice compartment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the ice compartment 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed of the insulation wall 23, wherein the ice maker 21 and the ice bin 22 are accommodated in the space formed by the insulation wall 23.

More specifically, the insulation wall 23 is configured of an upper insulation wall 231, a lower insulation wall 233, a pair of side insulation walls 232, a frontal insulation wall 235, and a rear insulation wall 234. A plurality of cold air inlet holes 236 are formed on the insulation wall that is closely adhered to the cold air supplying portion 12, among the pair of side insulation walls 232. Then, the cold air inlets 236 are configured to communicate with the cold air outlets 122 of the first duct 121. A plurality of cold air outlets 237 are formed on the lower side of the cold air inlets 236. One or more cold air outlets 237 are configured to communicate with the return duct 129 inside the mullion 113. The edges of the cold air inlet 236 and the cold air outlet 237 are respectively formed with a sealing member 238, such that when the ice compartment is disposed in the mullion 113, it prevents the leakage of cold air. The ice maker 21 and the ice bin 22 are surrounded by the insulation wall 23, such that the heat exchange with the air of inside the refrigerating compartment is blocked. Therefore, the problem that the temperature in the ice compartment 20 is increased, whereby the ice within the ice compartment 120 is melted or the ice making is not properly performed may be prevented.

In addition, the frontal insulation wall 235 forming the insulation wall 23 is integrally coupled with the front surface of the ice bin 22, such that it can be drawn out together with the ice bin 22. In other words, only the frontal insulation wall 235 is disposed to be separated from other insulation walls and is connected to the ice bin 22, such that the user can separate the ice bin 22 from the ice compartment 20.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing an inner configuration of a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, in the embodiment, the ice compartment is attached to the second air duct 124 and the dispenser and the discharge duct are disposed at the freezing compartment door 14.

The structure of the ice compartment 20 is the same as the above-mentioned embodiment except only that the cold air inlet of the ice compartment 20 (not shown) is formed at an opposite side to the surface defined in the above-mentioned embodiment. In other words, the discharge duct 15 is disposed at the back surface of the freezing compartment door 14 such that ice made in the ice compartment can be drawn out to the dispenser.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along a refrigerator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the embodiment, the ice maker 21 is disposed at the freezing compartment 11, and the ice bin 22 is disposed at the refrigerating compartment 112. Other configuration, such as the configuration that the cold air supplying portion 12 including the evaporator 30 is disposed in the mullion 113 is the same as the above-mentioned embodiment.

In detail, the ice maker 21 is closely attached to the surface of the freezing compartment side of the mullion 113. The ice bin 22 is closely attached to the surface of the refrigerating compartment side of the mullion 113. A transfer path 113 a that connects the ice maker 21 to the ice bin 22 is formed in the mullion 113. The ice maker 21 is provided with a guide plate 211 to guide ice separated from the ice maker 21 to the transfer path 113 a. The inside of the ice bin 22 is provided with the above-mentioned ice discharge mechanism 24. Therefore, ice collected in the ice bin 22 through the transfer path 113 a can move forward by the ice discharge mechanism 24.

In addition, in the embodiment, the ice bin 22 is provided in the refrigerating compartment 12, thus the dispenser 14 may be disposed at the door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment 112. The structure that the ice stored in the ice bin 22 is discharged to the outside through the dispenser 14 is the same as one described in FIG. 4. 

1. A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerating compartment above the freezing temperature; a freezing compartment below the feezing temperature; a mullion that partitions the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment side by side; a cold air supplying portion that forms within the mullion and includes an evaporator and a cooling fan; and an ice making apparatus that is disposed at the mullion, the ice making apparatus making cold air supplying portion ice by receiving cold air generated by the evaporator.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, cold air supplying portion further comprising a cold air duct within the mullion, wherein the cold air duct comprises: a first duct at the refrigerating compartment side that supplies cold air generated from the evaporator to the refrigerating compartment; and a second duct at the freezing compartment side that supplies cold air generated from the evaporator to the freezing compartment.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising at least one damper, which slectively opens or closes the first and second ducts such that the cold air supplied by the cooling fan is introduced into one of or both the refrigerating compartment and the freezing compartment.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the ice making apparatus includes: an ice maker that makes the ice; an ice bin that is disposed at a position lower than the ice maker and stores the ice made by the ice maker; and an ice discharge mechanism that is disposed within accommodated the ice bin to discharge and/or crush the ice.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the ice making apparatus is located within the refrigerating compartment and communicates with the first duct, and wherein the ice maker and the ice bin are surrounded by an insulation wall.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, further comprising: a door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, one end of the discharge duct communicating with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct communicating with the dispenser, wherein the insulation wall is provided with a communication hole enabling the ice bin to communicate with the discharge duct.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the ice making apparatus is accommodated located within the freezing compartment and communicates with the second duct.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, further comprising: a door that opens and closes the freezing compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, one end of the discharge duct communicating with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct communicating with the dispenser.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the ice maker is accommodated disposed in the freezing compartment and communicates with the second duct, and the ice bin is disposed in the refrigerating compartment.
 10. The refrigerator according to claim 9, further comprising: a connection duct that penetrates the mullion to connect the ice maker and the ice bin; and an insulation wall that surrounds the ice bin to insulate the ice bin from the refrigerating compartment.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, further comprising: a door that opens and closes the refrigerating compartment; a dispenser that is disposed at the door in order to draw out ice stored in the ice bin; and a discharge duct that is formed by penetrating the door, one end of the discharge duct communicating with the ice bin and the other end of the discharge duct communicating with the dispenser, wherein the insulation wall is provided with a communication hole enabling the ice bin to communicate with the discharge duct.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the ice discharge mechanism includes at least one of: an auger that transfers the ice to an ice outlet formed in the ice bin; a crusher that crushes the ice transferred by the auger; a rotation shaft that rotates the auger and the crusher; and a motor that is connected to the rotation shaft to provide rotation power.
 13. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a frontal insulation wall that forms a front portion of the insulation wall is separable and constitutes a unitary body with the ice bin.
 14. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a frontal insulation wall that forms a front portion of the insulation wall is separable and constitutes a unitary body with the ice bin. 